Former Good Morning America co-host Joan Lunden returned to the show on Tuesday, June 24, to tell her audience that she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.
Lunden co-hosted the ABC show for 17 years. She is now working as a health and wellness advocate and spreads awareness about healthy living through her writing.
She has published books.
Lunden spoke live with current host Robin Roberts on Tuesday. She told Roberts, and everybody watching, that she is entering "warrior mode" to learn as much as possible about the illness, fight against it, and raise public understanding of the diagnosis and awareness of available preventative services.
"I heard those words that every woman fears and never wants to hear, 'You have breast cancer,'" said Lunden. But fear isn't an option for the 63-year-old health advocate.
"You can't be afraid of what you might hear because that's what can really cause you real problems," she said to Roberts, who is also a breast cancer survivor.
Lunden explained her passion for health advocacy on Tuesday's show. Her father, a cancer surgeon, was killed in a private plane crash when she was 14. Inspired by his tireless efforts to help those diagnosed with cancer, she strives to motivate others to take care of their health, go to their appointments and get checked as early as possible for any signs of illness.
She will undergo chemotherapy, surgery and radiation, she told Roberts. But she is expected to fully recover.
The cancer she was diagnosed with is an "aggressive" kind, she says, that was found during a core biopsy rather than during her routine mammogram. Lunden is required to have ultrasounds following her mammograms due to her "dense fibrous tissue." It wasn't until the ultrasound that the doctor noticed something wrong.
The National Cancer Institute estimates 232,670 new cases of breast cancer in women, and 2,360 in men, for the year 2014. The illness is possible in males, contrary to popular belief, but is extremely rare. The NCI's website offers treatment options, assessment of risk factors, genetic testing information and advice for prevention measures.
Lunden stressed the importance of regular check-ups and vigilance, contributing her expected recovery to the fact that she was diagnosed early on. She accepts that she has a journey ahead of her, but is grateful for her husband, Jeff Konigsberg, who has been "a rock" for her, and the rest of her family, now going by the title #teamjoan. Many are taking to Twitter with the same hashtag to wish her a safe and speedy recovery.
